Gerion Lannister (Ninclow)
Gerion Lannister is a member of House Lannister and the youngest son of Lord Tytos Lannister and Lady Jeyne Marbrand, as well as the young brother to Tygett, Genna, Kevan and Tywin. Said to be a man quick to laugh and with a gift for making others laugh, his relationship with the latter was notoriously stormy, as the Lord Paramount of the westerlands long since had come to mistrust laughter, having heard too much of it directed at House Lannister in his youth as a result of their father's follies, whom in temperament Gerion resembled. Gerion's bright-eyed look on life also meant that Lord Tywin thought him unreliable and overlooked him for all positions of responsibility. The fact that Gerion never achieved knighthood also meant Tywin felt he failed to live up to his duty of contributing to bringing further honors to their family name. In an effort to reconcile with him and prove his worrth, Gerion went on a quest to find the ancestral Valyrian steel sword of his house, and any other treasures that might have survived the Doom of Valyria. Almost a decade passed after his ship left Lannisport, Lord Tywin sent men to look for his lost brother and they traced him as far as Volantis, where half his crew had deserted him because of his intent to sail across the Smoking Sea. History Early childhood Gerion Lannister was born at Casterly Rock in the summer of 255 AC as he fifth of Lord Tytos Lannister's children by his lady wife, Jeyne Marbrand. A happy, healthy little boy, the addition of yet another lion into the fold proved both a joy and a crisis for his family, because of his mother's passing within a moon's turn of his conception. The youngest and most reckless of the five siblings, Gerion's propensity for adventure and excitement was evident from an early age, often wandering off by himself to explore both the castle and its surrounding lands, believing it would allow him to learn all the secrets that the old Kings of the Rock might have left behind. Gerion could also recall several caged lions kept deep down in the bowels of Casterly Rock during his childhood, and being the only one that could reach into the cage and pet them without fear of losing an arm, which his brother Tygett said was because 'the lion know to recognize its own kind', earning Gerion the epithet of "The Cub of Casterly Rock" which stuck with him all the way until his sixteenth nameday. During his formative years, Gerion was very close to their lord father, whom in temperament he resembled more than his older brothers and sister did, much to the chagrin of his oldest borther Tywin: When their father became Lord of Casterly Rock, the Westerlands laughed with the "Laughing Lion", as the jovial Tytos was called. But when men realized he had neither teeth nor claws, they started to laugh at him. Worse still, thanks to their family's gold, House Lannister's bannermen approached him asking for extravagant loans, and eager to please as he was, Lord Tytos agreed.'' Whereas his siblings had all spent much of theirs being forced to watch their mighty house nearly brought to ruin by the actions of the man who sired them. Gerion's youth meant that he was largely ill-equipped to take heed to the consequences of their father's misrule, failing to appreciate the fact that their lord father allowed loans go unpaid while his own bannermen did as they pleased and mocked him in their cups, and even openly defied him, until the proper order of things was restored and his brother's anthem, The Rains of Castamere echoed through the halls of Casterly Rock during feasts. As a result, Tywin in particular was keen for Gerion to grow dutiful and though-minded. To this end, his older brothers would often take turns engaging him in a game of ''Come-into-my-castle, a game meant to teach highborn children about the virtue of courtesy, knowledge of heraldry, as well as the friends and enemies of their house. It uncommon for at least one of them to watch over him as he were tutored by Maester Volarik, or trained with weapons by Ser Benedict Broom, their master-at-arms. Like both Kevan and Tygett, Gerion was also overshadowed by their older brother, eventually prompting him to reach the conclusion that his life would be much easier by far if he simply mocked the game, rather than to play and running the risk of losing. Only a boy of five at the time of the Fifth Blackfyre Rebellion, Gerion spent the war in the safety of Casterly Rock, while the younger brother of their lord father, Ser Jason Lannister, lead a force of eleven thousand westermen to fight beside the army of the Iron Throne at the Stepstones. Upon receiving word that his uncle had perished on the field of battle, Gerion was devastated, and horrified when faced with the possibility that his older brothers, all of whom had left to participate in the war alongside the rest of the Lannister army, also could be put to the sword by the outlaws, exiles and sellswords who had journeyed all the way from Essos to make claim on the Seven Kingdoms. Gerion pleaded with the measter to send a raven on his behalf, requesting their immediate return. Two days later, his letter was answered: Remonstrating him for wasting his time whimpering like a little puppy when he should take pride in their contributions to the war effort, Tywin instructed the little lordling to be brave in the face of adversity, as befits a lion of Casterly Rock. After reading this, Gerion locked himself inside his room and refused to eat anything for two days. In the end, it had been a young knight by the name of Ser Barristan Selmy, whom Gerion heard had cut a bloody path though the ranks of the Golden Company and finally put Maelys the Monstrous, the last of the Blackfyre Pretenders, to the sword in single combat, thus ending the war. Expecting the homecoming of his kin to be something joyous, the welcoming feast turned unexpectedly sour when Tywin grew angry with their lord father for not having yet submitted a new demand of repayment of the debts owed their house. Just before the dessert was to be served, Tywin informed their father for the whole family to hear, that he had seen how the rest of the realm sniggered at House Lannister, and did not shy away from blaming their lord father for it. Tension rose as Tywin openly chided him for not taking part in the war, dismissing the feeble excuses of the ruling lord that he was not a warrior with the accusation that Lord Tytos would sooner let others fight his own wars and die in his name than leave the side of the mistress that had warmed his bed since the death of his lady wife. Later that evening, it was later said within Gerion's earshot by his father's own bannermen that those who had beheld the proud young lions on the field of battle at the Stepstone might rightly have wondered how such could ever have sprung from the loins of the quivering fool beneath the Rock. Adopting this sentiment as his own after a bit of pondering, Gerion confided in his sister that he intended to sneak out in the dead of night and make his way by foot to their relatives in the city of Lannisport, where he vowed to stay until their spineless father's last day. In response to this, his sister Genna told him that it was in truth by their father's detective that their uncle and brothers had gone to war, lying that their lord father 'was a commander, not an infantryman', insisting he had been one of the most trusted advisers in the King's own war council, and the two of them had exchanged countless ravens throughout the war. While Gerion eventually came to recognize the truth, he appreciated the gesture, as it allowed him let go of his resentment and remember the Laughing Lion more fondly after his passing a few years later, as opposed to resent him and remain bitter over his follies for years to come, like he correctly predicted that Tywin would be. A year later, Gerion watched in awe as his brothers, now battle hardened from the war, restored House Lannister to its proper place, in awe over the ruthless efficiency with which Tywin, Kevan and Tygett brought a deceive end to the revolt of the two traitorous vassals of House Reyne and House Tarbeck when they renounced their fealty and rose against their liege lords due to the perceived weakness of House Lannister brought about by Lord Tytos, and how they left the shattered remains of their castles as a mute testimony to the fate that awaits those foolish enough to scorn or doubt the power of Casterly Rock. Through the efforts of Tywin in particular, their family continued to prosper for the next few years. In 262 AC, when he was no more than seven, Gerion saw Tywin off alongside his siblings and their lord father when he left for King's Landing to serve the newly crowned King Aerys, who had appointed him the Hand of the King. In his brother's absence, Gerion was always eager to receive words from the capital, where Tywin to no one's surprise quickly proved himself a most diligent or capable a Hand. Tireless, prudent and diligent, the realm saw about twenty years worth of peace and prosperity under Tywin's administration, whom some believed to be the true ruler of Westeros. And just when Gerion had began to wonder whether or not life could not get any better for their family, Lord Tytos suddenly announced how the entirety of House Lannister would journey by horseback to King's Landing in order to attend Ser Tywin's weeding. His wife to be was a Lannister cousn by the name of Joanna, whom Gerion remembered vaguely had went to visit the capital for the coronation of King Jaehaerys Targaryen, the Second of His Name when he was very little and ended up staying as a lady-in-waiting for the future queen. During the wedding feast, following a very lavish ceremony in the Great Sept of Baelor, Gerion was glad to see his lord father and Tywin remain civil towards each other. Known by all who lived at Casterly Rock for his strong, sweet voice, Gerion paid tribute to the honor of Ser Tywin and his new lady wife by singing The Rains of Castamere, accompanied by the musicians hired to play there. He later mischievously helped himself to some of the wine from Kevan's goblet when he was preoccupied dancing with Dorna Swyft, only for the then eight year old cub to find the beverage too sour for his liking, reacting so violently that their several attendees, their lord father among them, roared with laughter. Even though Gerion found himself spending the rest of the feast as cupbearer to the groom and his bride, it did not stop neither of his three other brothers from later offering him a sip from their own cups as a jest. The later reign of Tytos Within no more than a fortnight of this happy occasion, everything were already beginning to fall apart: Prior to Tywin's victory in the civil war of the lions, conditions in the westerlands had been, to put it at its mildest, thoroughly dismal. Bandits and outlaws had been prowling the roads and terrorized the smallfolk, plundering and pillaging and raping and killing, all the while his father's bannermen had ignored his orders for them to put an end to their many atrocities, apparently more than content with seeing to their own affairs only. Thrice in the reign of his lord father, the king's knights march from King's Landing to restore order to the west, only for conflict to resume as soon as the forces of the Crown had departed. The last few years of their father's rule, however, were by contrast a time of relative peace and stability to the region. With the outlaws out of the way, thanks of Kevan and the five hundred of the Lannister veterans from the war, the only people who could possibly stir up trouble afterwards was their vassals, all of whom Gerion knew was too afraid of retribution from the King's Hand to as much as disagree openly with his lord father. That is not to say everything was as it ought at Casterly Rock: Much to the surprise of the rest of their house, Gerion's new sister-in-law returned to Casterly Rock without as much as a raven to inform upon her intention to do so, looking thoroughly disraught. Later that evening, after the littlest lion had been bid by his lord father to go to bed, Gerion had snuck back out and eavesdropped on a conversation between Genna and Joanna, in which the latter revealed that she had been sent away from court by the Queen because of His Grace's infidelities, as King Aerys apparently had been taking certain unwonted liberties with her during the bedding ritual after the feast, sparking tension between Tywin and the King. And things did not get much better after that: Whereas Tywin were often heard of from his place at the King's right hand, credited by many with the attainment of what even more felt to be a period of some long overdue peace and prosperity in the Seven Kingdoms, Lord Tytos Lannister was as weak as ever. And before long, someone had found a way to take advantage of his goodwill once again: So common was it for noblemen to lay with serving girls when the urge came upon them that no one at Casterly Rock had bothered to tie themselves into a knot over it when Gerion's wet nurse became a paramour to their lord father shortly after the demise of his lady wife. Even so, even Gerion, tender of years though he might have been, knew that a mistress were there to fulfill the needs of nobility, not to play the part of nobility themselves. Which was why, when their lord father allowed himself to be completely dominated by his second one and never lifted a finger to stop her from ordering about the household knights, dismissing servants or helping herself to their late mother's jewelry, even Gerion, tolerant as he was when compared to his siblings, was furious about the liberties taken his father's bedwarmer. Twice, Gerion had boldly tried to defy her grasp for power. The first time, she had slapped the across the face with such strength of hand that she had made the little lordling shed tears, his cheek red and warm for the rest of the day. The second time, Gerion had tried to send a raven to warn his brother and plead him to help, only for the bird to be shot down by an arrow almost as soon as it had taken to its wings. Predicting his intent, his father's mistress had ordered household knights to put an arrow through any bird sent by others than her or Gerion's father. Upon reading the message that had been meant for Tywin's eyes, she had had him forcefully escorted back to his chambers and had sworn swords of their house make sure he stayed there, even refusing him anything to eat for the rest of the day. Honor bound to abide by the authority of the head of the household, however, no Lannister within Casterly Rock could refuse him when Lord Tytos expressively forbade them from 'slandering' her to Tywin. The next good thing happening in their home didn't come until Gerion 266 AC, when he became an uncle. Coming of age tour Coming... Novice of Casterly Rock Coming... A quest of steel and smoke Coming... The lion's debt Coming... Qarro Volentin Coming... Appearance and Character Gerion is a strong and graceful man in his forties, with hair the color of beaten gold, long enough for it to frame the sharp features of his face like curtains. He has striking green eyes that are flecked with gold and usually twinkles with kindness and mischief. When he becomes genuinely angry, however, his likeness to his lord brother is thought to be rather unnerving. More prideful than he would care to admit, Gerion often dons himself in the finest silks, samites, and velvets, and seldom seen without the Lannister colors of red or gold. An amiable and jovial gentleman, Gerion Lannister is kindhearted, courteous, charming and soft-spoken, quick to laugh and said to be a man with a gift for making others laugh. Like his siblings, he is dutiful and tough-minded, but also possesses a propensity for adventure and excitement that means he would sooner dream of seeing far off places than taking an interest in politics and court intrigue. In his youth, he was an adequate fighter, but not a warrior, much to the chagrin of Tywin, who believed Gerion and their lord father to be too much alike. Even so, Gerion he is still intelligent and well educated, and certainly sharper of wit and tongue than Tywin would be likely to give him credit for. While not as ruthless as Tywin, Gerion still has a manner which demands respect, and not above resorting to using his family name and enormous fortune to bolster his position. Fierce when angered, it is often said of Gerion Lannister that his kindly manner ought not to fool you, because 'a smiling lion still has claws'. Abilities While Gerion Lannister was an adequate fighter in his youth, he was of a more bookish bent than his older brothers and never achieved knighthood, choosing instead to read the thrilling tales of adventurers and wishing to see the world himself. Even so, when he was not reading, there was few things he liked better than to run and ride and climb, meaning that even after training for battle eventually lost every appeal to him, he was still lithe and strong. During his self-imposed exile, however, Gerion befriended a celebrated Braavosi swordsman by the name of Syrio Forel, under whose tutelage Gerion trains as a water dancer and learns how to move and think like a warrior: to be perceptive, move with grace, and command his fear. Within twelve months, Gerion was living by his sword, , swaggering through the nights with his hair dyed and his Lannister finery exchanged for a more inconspicuous attire, and crossing blades with fellow bravos looking to pick fights and prove their skills. After nearly a decade, Gerion finally returned to Braavos after years worth of extensive travel in the Free Cities and outside, where he swiftly developed an appreciation and veneration of all cultures, learning much about the ways and language of those dwelling in the different areas and befriending most he came across. Going by the name of Quarro Volentin, by the time Gerion was named the First Sword to the Sealord of Braavos following the departure of his predecessor, he had already proved true the claim that true water dancers can fight and kill upon the surface of the Moon Pool without disturbing the surface of the water.many times over. Equipment Valyrian steel sword named Silence, forged by one of the finest sword smiths in the city of Qohor from the ancestral greatsword of House Lannister, Brightroar. Shorter than a longsword, yet even lighter and stronger because of the metalwork put into it, Gerion made it so that he could wield a sword that would not stand out too much upon his return to Westeros, yet be small and light enough for him to wield much the same way he would do a Bravos blade. The feeling of wielding it remind him of the wooden practice sword Syrio had him use at the beginning of his training, only slightly lighter and much more deadly. The excess steel was used as payment to settle his debt to the Iron Bank.